Science of meditation

Nov. 28, 2005

Phil Chanin meditates in the room he and his wife, Nilufer, renovated to include space for their yoga and Buddhist meditation practices in the basement of their Nashville, Tenn., home. Some scientists are studying the practice to see what measurable benefits, if any, there are.

Written by

KATHLEEN FACKELMANN
USA Today

WASHINGTON - The ancient practice of meditation may change the brain in a way that helps boost attention, according to studies out recently at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.

Buddhist monks have been saying for years that meditation helps increase attention and concentration. The new findings now offer some support for the notion.

Sara Lazar of Harvard Medical School studied Westerners who meditated for about 20 minutes every day but didn't necessarily believe in the tenets of Buddhism. Lazar and colleagues used MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) to look at brain parts ...